


When You Come Back Down

by dragonflythearchive (dragonflythemuse)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Trans Male Character, edit: just realized i forgot to put any one piece related tags on this work aha, like yeah you know hes trans but just because of his backstory, that doesnt really go into detail, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23418976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflythemuse/pseuds/dragonflythearchive
Summary: I'm no longer adding to this fic. Thank you to those of you who enjoyed it but this is as far as I'm going to go with it.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Original Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 13





	1. Forbidden Fruit

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you've seen this work before, I have deleted it and re-uploaded it to make some outstanding changes to the story. Azrael is now a trans man, which is something that I (a trans man) am more comfortable with.
> 
> Tenshi-Tenshi no mi: Angel Angel fruit

_You got to leave me now._  
_You got to go alone._  
_You got to chase your dream,_  
_One that’s all your own_  
_Before it slips away._

The sky was dark. Despite it being mid-day, the town was hidden in shadow. The only thing that lit the air was the bright red explosions of canons striking the side of the island and the fires they created. There was mass panic. People ran from explosions, screaming, clutching their children, crying, begging for help. But this was something the Marines would never come to fix. It was something that Azrael would hold against them for the rest of his life. 

That same memory plagued his mind almost daily.

The day that the Gunshot Pirates raided his island and took everything away from him. He screamed as he watched an bullet be put in the foreheads of his mother, father, and older brother, who all died in attempts to guard their family heirloom. As if seeing the severed bodies and bullet-ridden corpses wasn’t enough trauma on a young girl in a village.

It was the heirloom that changed everything. Growing up, Azrael wondered why a piece of fruit was so sacred. But his father’s advice came up in his mind as he was trying to save himself from the Gunshots. 

“Should anything happen to us, eat this fruit. It will save you.”

He kept those words in his mind as he swallowed the bitter piece of fruit, much to the dismay of the pirates looming over him. But when he saw the pieces of brain matter splattered against the walls of his home, he finally understood what the importance of the fruit was. He couldn’t bring himself to blame his parents for holding onto something such as the Tenshi Tenshi no mi. It wasn’t something they kept for monetization value. It was sentimental. It was something passed down from generation to generation. He understood why the pirates had murdered them for it. He understood why they held him prisoner for years for it. 

Yes, Smoking Gun had allowed him to become a part of his crew after a couple of years on sea. Anything for the bearer of the Tenshi Tenshi no mi to be controlled by him. He wanted to use the power as much as he could, especially when the fruit was now being controlled by someone else. A young girl at the time devouring the fruit was not a part of the plan, yet it was something he would have to work with. It was just a dumb girl. How difficult could it be?

At first, it wasn’t difficult. He was young and scared, so his captain was able to beat him into submission to work for him. No amount of suicide attempts had ever been successful because of him. He always caught him at just the right time. As if nothing happened, he would be used once again, without a care for his health. His devil fruit powers have never been used the way he wanted them to. They have never been used for his benefit. Only the benefit of his captain. 

As he grew, however, he began to show forms of resistance and retaliation. He was tired of the constant abuse, beatings, and death threats for his resistance, so he complied to work with them in exchange for safety. He still wasn’t safe. His compliancy only bought him a permanent mark on his skin to remind him that he was the property of a disgusting pirate and his disgusting crew. As he grew into his late teens, he was still faced with death, not only from his crew mates, but from rival pirates, Marines, and natural hazards. And a shifting mindset. 

These feuds had forced Azrael to train his senses. He was able to sense when Smoking Gun was coming to his room. He was able to sense where other ships were. He rarely got sleep because of his Haki. It had saved his life on many occasions. He didn’t want to let his guard down at all. Besides, all sleep he got was plagued with nightmares and fears of his past. He was trying to grow out of it.

That was the only good thing he got out of the Gunshots. They forced him to grow. His spirit was high but he was not sensitive. He was stone faced, willing to do whatever he could for survival, even if that meant going against his shipmates or innocent civilians. The latter didn’t happen frequently. He was well aware of himself. He liked to pretend that he had more control than that. 

At times he was shocked at how much control he truly had over himself. He had unknowingly saved the lives of many civilians under the threat of his captain, often risking his life many times so young girls didn’t have to go through what he did. And the last time he did is when he found her perfect escape. 

He was able to get up and run during a Marine raid. Considering he was the only feminine looking member on the crew and the only one to look so different he managed to flee. His fleeing did not stop him from trying to help others. The amount of children he had shepherded together after being separated from their parents was remembered ever since the Gunshots had stepped foot onto the island. The island in which the Gunshots had raided had become his home ever since. 

The island was massive. In the center was a large canyon, home to art, music, and bizarre cuisine. Azrael had never really had a home he could call her own ever since the murder of his parents. But Canyon City was his home. The community had enjoyed his presence ever since the Gunshots were arrested by the Marines. They heralded him as their savior, a pirate who was different among others. Unlike what the Gunshots did for him, he reminded the people of his new home that not all pirates were murderous plunderers. Some were good human beings. 

His new home discovered that he was a fantastic artist. He drew amazing portraits of people and landscapes, often drawing pictures of his family and home island from memory. Some parts of the canyon walls were decorated by his murals. Civilians often commented about how the art made them feel as if God had kissed their home. 

“If only they knew,” he often thought. 

Despite his chronic depression and PTSD with which was triggered by gunfire, he lived a relatively happy life in Canyon City. Selling his paintings and drawings allowed him to live comfortably and he felt safer than ever. His work had allowed him to cope with his depression. He was attempting to feel empathy and comfort with showing his emotions. But there was no one who would know his past. He didn’t trust anyone else with that burden. No matter how close any of his fellow city dwellers would get, he could not trust any one of them with his dark secrets. 

He often attempted to forget and repress her past by burying herself in art. Many times, famous pirates would dock in front of the canyon valley. Marines as well. One of the most vivid memories he had was when Dracule Mihawk stepped foot on the island amid a bustling day. Passing by, he commented on his work, to which he asked if he had wanted a portrait. He said yes, paid him generously, and left without taking it with him. He couldn’t remember what the compliment even was. He still had the painting hanging up in his shop. 

If asked if life was treating him well, he would say yes. It really was treating him well. He was able to live his life as he wished. After consulting doctors, he was on the path to growing more masculine than he had ever dreamed. He felt new and different. And it brought him comfort knowing that he was now safe in his canyon home, away from the Gunshots, and safe from any pirate eye trying to take advantage of him.

But things change.


	2. Portraits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azrael meets some of the Strawhat crew. Nami and Robin give him a chance and he learns what friendship is really like.

_When you’re flying high_  
_Take my heart along_  
_I’ll be the harmony to every lonely song_  
_That you will learn to play._

The sound of people in the markets of Canyon City bounced off of the walls of the steep valley. It was good white noise for Azrael to focus on his paintings. Sitting outside his shop to feel the nice breeze of the canyon, he was reclined in the shade of a large parasol, a plate of vibrant oils in his lap. 

Something he enjoyed painting when a face didn’t stand out to him was the view from his shop. He loved being able to see down the valley before the curve of the canyon swept away to the sea. He painted the scene often, but usually with different colors, styles, and shapes. The most realistic one he’s done was hung in the city hall. He was quiet about his pride. 

For now, he was content sitting outside, a cigarette dangling from his lips, with his hands covered in paint. 

“Zoro,” yelled a voice around the corner. “You are NOT allowed to go on your own in this city. You WILL get lost and we’ll never be able to find you and honestly, I don’t want to waste my time having to come find you.”

There was no response. The voice turned the corner and continued to pester the man as they neared. Upon a small glance, Azrael recognized them. They were from the Strawhat gang. They were beasts. Forces to be reckoned with. But as far as he knew, they posed no threat. 

Out of the two, the figure in green caught his eye the most. He was tall, built, and his left eye was closed shut. Curiosity already began to probe Azrael’s mind. He was wearing a tight black shirt that highlighted his torso, tucked into military print pants. A green haramaki sat on his waist, keeping three swords by his side. 

Roronoa Zoro. Of course. Azrael had always found the man stunningly attractive. His attempts at sketching the man were in vain, as he never had the man as a model. He couldn’t draw what he couldn’t see, and drawing wanted posters was dull in the first place. He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled, the smoke floating upwards towards the sun. 

He internally shrugged and continued to paint his scenery. He temporarily forgot about the presence of a supernova in his city until a deep yet silky voice spoke. 

“Oi,” it said. “Do you know Mihawk?”

Azrael looked up and saw Zoro pointing at the portrait of Mihawk he had done a year or so ago. 

“Not personally, no. He visited Canyon City some time ago. Paid me to do a portrait of him and left without taking it, so I’ve just had it.”

The woman he was with spoke as well. Nami, if he remembered correctly. 

“These paintings are stunning,” she spoke. 

Azrael smiled softly at her. “Thank you. Been painting ever since I was a child.” 

“Do you mind if we step inside?”

“Not at all. Feel free to take a look around. If there’s anything that seems interesting, just let me know and I can get it framed for you.”

The girl with orange hair giggled quietly and bounced inside, while Zoro stood outside, still looking at the portrait of Mihawk. He stayed silent, just observing the painting.

“It’s really nice,” he spoke.

“Thanks.”

That was all that was said between them before Nami came back out.

“Zoro, when I saw you weren’t behind me I panicked. I thought I lost you, dumbass.” She turned to look at Azrael. “Thank you!”

Azrael nodded and watched as they turned to keep walking. He thought he could hear her mention a portrait, but he wasn’t sure. He didn’t keep his hopes up.

As the day dragged on, he almost forgot completely that the Strawhat crew had stopped by his shop until a little after supper. He heard a knock at the door frame and he turned his head upwards. 

“Oh,” he said with a smile. “You’re back!”

Nami flipped her hair and smiled. “When I saw the portraits I couldn’t resist. I hope it’s alright that I brought my friend along.” 

Behind her entered a tall woman with raven black hair. Pretty. 

“Of course. If this is a portrait for two, one might have to wait.”

“No no,” said the tall woman. “I just heard about art and I wanted to see it for myself.”

Azreal jokingly sighed in relief. “Thank god someone is promoting my work.”

Nami stifled a giggle while glancing around. “What should I do?”

As Azrael was setting up his station, he waved generally to the model stand. “You can just sit there in any pose you’d like. Make sure you can hold it for an hour or so though.” 

Nami gracefully sat herself on the stool, pulled her hair out of a hair tie and shook it free. 

“Robin, you can just sit here. I’d love to get a painting in that style.” 

Azrael looked over his shoulder to see the painting Nami was pointing at. It was a bright and colorful self-portrait of what he can remember he looked like as a child. It was a portrait of him before he knew. 

“I love how you painted her expression. She looks so vibrant and full of life.” 

Azrael couldn’t help but grin at that. 

“Thank you. I like to think that she was.”

Robin tilted her head. “Did you know her?”

A slight pause. “Yeah.”

“There are a lot of portraits of her. Who is she?”

His nostrils flared despite his calm demeanor. “Someone really close. She died a while ago, but I’m keeping the dream alive.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

He shook his head. “It was inevitable. She’s in a better place, I can tell you that much.”

He sat down to begin painting and throughout the night, they actually talked. Azrael felt comfortable with the two to share more about himself. 

“The girl in the portraits is actually uh. Me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t necessarily born a man. She came before I did really. She’s ‘who I used to be’ before I was able to live life the way I wanted to.” 

“Something holding you back, I assume,” spoke Robin. A nod answered her. “Brave.”

“Trust me, as soon as I could, I ran. And now I’m at this point in my life and I’ve never been happier honestly.”

“That’s really good to hear,” Nami said enthusiastically. “I love hearing stories like that. Reminds me of myself and how even though I’ve been through a lot, it was all worth it.”

Azrael smiled. “I’ve never really thought about it that way. I like that. Seen some crazy things?”

“You could say that.”

“The crew we sail with is a walking disaster.” 

“Yet you sail with them.”

Nami laughed. “Honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Azrael smiled. For the last few minutes of the painting they sat in silence. It was a peaceful and comfortable silence. The presence of the two women was very welcoming for Azrael. He wouldn’t know until later, but they believed the same with him. 

“All done,” he said. “Come see how it is.”

Nami walked over to his eisel after stretching and covered her mouth. 

“Oh wow, it’s stunning!” 

“If you’d like, I can frame it so it stays safe with you on your travels.”

“How much extra is that?”

“For you, no charge. It’s been really nice having company like this. I don’t find it often. I feel like I owe you.”

When Azrael framed the portrait, he showed it once more, to which Nami squealed and threw her arms around his neck. She was giddy, something that Azrael appreciated.

“Thank you so much, Azrael. This is outstanding. I’m so excited to put this on the Sunny. But, I fear bringing this back to the hotel with us.”

“Luffy?”

“Luffy.” 

Robin smiled calmly. “He’ll want to know more. If he likes something he sees, he’s determined to get his hands on it.”

“Well, you are all more than welcome to come by again. Bring your crew if you’d like. I’ll never turn you down.”

Nami hugged Azrael once more, paid him generously, and waved excitedly as she began to bounce back home with Robin in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azrael aka I'm venting through a One Piece insert.


	3. Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azrael finds himself alone with Zoro in his studio for about a day. He realizes how much he's longed for someone to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Zoro. He's so much fun to mess around with in regards to his character. Hopefully I did him justice though. Also I know I posted the last chapter yesterday, but I've written ahead quite a bit so I'm just updating when I feel like it.

_When you’re soaring through the air_  
_I’ll be the solid ground._

Azrael wouldn’t lie when he said he missed the company of Nami and Robin the next day. It had been awhile since a friendly ear was around for him to just talk and exist around. While he hoped they would come back, he knew that they were a rather chaotic bunch after hearing about them in the news so frequently. 

After eating a pastry that morning and going for a daily walk around the city before sunrise, he sat in his rocking chair on the patio of his shop. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do that day. While a slow day was nice, he felt like he had many of those. He wanted some more busy and bustling days. More activities. He debated picking up another trade to waste more time, but he wasn’t sure. He was feeling particularly lazy when it came to that, so he settled for spending his free time sitting on his patio and reading a book. 

The morning went by pretty quickly surprisingly. A lot of people came by to purchase art, which was really encouraging for him. He had a lot of money he’d be able to give back to the community, and more left over. By midday he had gotten halfway through his book, just letting the concept of time go until a group of people approached. 

Nami was at the front of the group with a large smile on her face. Following her was Robin, Zoro, a blonde man who was rather preoccupied with staring at the women, and a short boyish looking man with a large scar on his torso. 

Luffy and gang. What a group. This wasn’t even the entire crew if Azrael remembered it right. 

“Oi, Nami!” shouted Luffy while making a beeline for the shop. “Was this the art guy you were talking about?” 

“Yup! Isn’t his art beautiful?”

Azrael smiled at the crew. “Thanks, Nami. Welcome back.” He allowed the group to venture through the store to look at what appealed to them. 

“This guy makes art of FOOD?” 

“Yup. It’s kinda hard to do though, I don’t really have a lot of models for food. It either goes bad or it gets eaten.”

“Maybe we can get Sanji to make a meal for you to paint someday.”

“I’m up for the challenge.”

Sanji, the blonde, flipped his hair slightly and chuckled. “As if we could get Luffy away from it.” He leaned in and wrapped an arm around Azrael. “Might I thank you for making such a lovely recreation of Nami-swan. It will be cherished.”

Azrael smiled awkwardly as Nami kicked him in the stomach. 

Luffy walked up, finger in his nose. “I’m hungry. I’m gonna go look for food. Thanks for letting me see your art Az, hopefully I’ll see you again!” 

Before anyone else could speak, he was off. Robin tugged on Nami’s arm gently, knowing that now was the time for more exploring. “I saw some fun stores down across town. Want to check those out?”

“Oh, yes! Zoro you can either come with us or stay here, we’re not getting you lost in a canyon.”

Zoro shrugged. “I’ll stay here. I don’t really want to go shopping.” 

Nami narrowed her eyes. “I’ll hold you against that. See you later!”

Azrael waved and stood from his chair. “Since you’re here, do you want to come inside?” 

Zoro shrugged and followed him. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable. It’s pretty quiet in the shop. There’s a couch over on this side. If you want any drinks, let me know, yada yada all that hospitable stuff.”

Zoro let out a breath of amusement. “Do you have any sake?”

“Sake, eh? Not sure, I’d have to look upstairs in my loft. Give me a second.”

Zoro reclined on the couch, crossing his legs as the artist hopped upstairs to his apartment. He took the time to look around at the work hung up on the walls. The walls were really neat despite the clutter of the studio. The paintings were really clean and realistic. Zoro wasn’t really one to admire artforms other than swordsmanship, but this was rather striking for him. They drew his eye. Details of face structures were sharp and sleek, other parts round and soft. He got up to examine more of them. There were paintings of a lot of pirates. There was the one of Mihawk, which Zoro thought of fondly for some reason. There were portraits of Doflamingo (in which Zoro cringed at), Whitebeard, Eustass Kid, Trafalgar Law (a familiar face!) as well as portraits of some Marines. He was pretty impressed. 

He turned as Azrael returned downstairs with a few bottles of sake to find Zoro staring at his artworks on the wall. He extended a bottle to Zoro, who took it, nodding in appreciation. He returned to the couch where he quickly sat and folded his legs, taking a swig of the sake. 

“Sorry for starin’ at your art.”

“Oh, no. Don’t be, it’s hung up for a reason. It’s how I make money.”

Zoro watched Azrael sit down at a stool next to an elevated table, where he turned on a light and pulled out some pencils. The blonde took a very small swig of the sake and started sketching. 

“How nice is it, knowin that you don’t have to worry yourself about makin ends meet? You can just sit inside and let your talent do all the work.”

Azrael glanced at him. His golden eyes met his single grey eye. 

After a slight smile, he responded. “It’s okay I guess. I get bored really easily though. I’d love to be able to get out and explore the world. I’ve just been too scared to. Don’t trust anyone enough to go with me.”

“Ever thought about joining a pirate crew?”

“I’ve been on one. Never wanted to be on one after that.”

Zoro’s expression didn’t change. Azrael didn’t look up from his paper. 

“Bad crew?”

“Terrible crew.”

“What’d they do?”

Azrael sighed. He had frozen in his seat. Zoro pondered taking back his question but he wanted to see what Nami and Luffy were so interested in. 

“They raided my island. Tore it to the ground. Killed everyone they could. I was the only one that survived.”

“So they brought you into their crew?”

“Unfortunately. I wish they had killed me instead of what they put me through.”

“So why’d they keep you alive?”

Azrael contemplated whether he should tell him. His powers were valuable to pirates and marines alike. However he had read quite a few articles about the Strawhats and they had never taken anyone advantage or exploited their powers. He decided to put a little trust in someone at least. They would be leaving the island anyway. 

“My devil fruit powers.” 

Zoro rested his head on two splayed fingers. His expression grew increasingly angry. At least that’s how it seemed. He let Azrael continue.

“My family had a devil fruit that was a family heirloom. My father had gotten it from his father, so on and so on. It had been in our family for over 100 years. But it’s a powerful fruit. That’s what no one told our family, I guess for safety. But a group of pirates came to take it I suppose. But before they could take it, I ate it. So they would either have to kill me or take me with them. I was hoping they would find me useless since I had taken their fruit away from them. But they took me with them. I wish they hadn’t.” 

“What is it?” Zoro asked.

“What is what?”

“Your power. What is it?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I just want to know why Luffy seems so excited to have you on board. He’ll beg almost anyone on his crew, so I can’t just let him drag people along. Someone has to make sure he’s not making a mistake.”

Azrael raised his eyes towards Zoro and met his piercing eye for a moment before breaking away once more. He chuckled slightly. 

“So we’re both interrogating each other because of trust issues.”

Zoro smiled and shrugged. “Call it curiosity.”

“Alright, I’ll indulge in your curiosity.” He continued without his hands leaving his paper. “My family heirloom was the Tenshi Tenshi no mi - the Angel Angel fruit. It doesn’t really do much as far as I’m aware.”

“What do you know?”

“Like I said I don’t truly know. I’ve only fully used it once or twice. So as far as I know, nothing special. Nothing powerful. If you’re so interested, you can figure it out yourself.” 

Zoro could tell there was something that he wasn’t being told. There was more to this tenshi fruit. He didn’t know how he could require the information considering that there probably wasn’t a lot that Azrael knew himself. 

“So what about you, Mr. Roronoa?” Azrael spoke. “I thought you were a pirate hunter? What got you on a ship with Luffy?”

Zoro laughed at the question, thinking back to when he met Luffy. “I didn’t really have much of a choice. I’m his first mate. He picked me up from execution and I told him I would go with him. I’ve never wanted to turn back. Never would’ve expected myself to get on a ship with a pirate. But he was too much of an idiot for me to ignore, so here I am.”

“Sounds like you guys are inseparable.”

“Basically. The only time he’s ever let me go was before the battle at Marineford. He told us to get better or not come back, so I left. Trained with Mihawk for two years. Went back. And so far, it hasn’t been boring.”

Azrael paused while listening. He was truly intrigued by the story behind this crew. 

“What’s your goal in life, Zoro?”

Zoro turned his gaze back to the artist, somewhat surprised by the question. “My goal? Become the world’s greatest swordsman. Kick the shit out of Mihawk and take his place.” Azrael nodded and Zoro shifted his posture, coming off more aggressive.

“What about you, Azrael? What’s your goal in life?”

Azrael put his pencil down. His eyebrows furrowed. After running a hand in his hair, he opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

“I don’t know. I’ve never had one.”

“Yet you’re still alive?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Most people who have a goal will do whatever to keep going. You’ve done the same thing.”

“Well. I wish I could tell you. I truly don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I’m just alive right now and I don’t know why. Should’ve died years ago.”

“Yet here you are. That’s kind of amazing. Maybe one day you can figure out what it is you want your goal to be.”

“Until then, I’ll be in this shop, painting to my heart's content.”

“Won’t you get bored? You said you wanted to go on an adventure.”

“I know where my place is.”

Zoro rested his cheek on his chin. “You’re really stubborn.”

“You’re not the first to tell me.”

Zoro chuckled. “I think Luffy actually had a good feeling in his gut about you.” 

Azrael gazed at him. “Why do you say that?”

Zoro shook his head. “If you talk to Luffy I think you’ll find out.” 

The two of them continued to pick at their curiosity as they talked for hours on end. Although in the end, they didn’t really learn anything about each other. They just talked about nothing and everything. Zoro told stories of what he had seen over the years of his life on the seas while Azrael sketched him over and over. Zoro moved enough for him to have new poses. 

With every story, Azrael found himself more interested in Zoro’s history and character. The man was legendary. He had the strength of a god but the heart of a lion. He would do anything for his shipmates and lay down his life for his captain. And despite fighting Sanji as often as he did, he would still always fight for him if his life was on the line. Zoro was a real man of courage. And Azrael honored that. He realized he wanted to be that kind of person. Maybe that was his goal in life. Maybe his goal was to be a courageous individual ready to die for those he loved. 

The only problem he had was that there was no one around him that he really loved. He cared for the people of the island of course. He would do what he could to help them. But other than that, he was alone. 

That was something he talked about when Zoro let him speak. Ever since his island was razed to the ground by a bad band of pirates, and he was forced on the sea, he never had anyone to stand up for him. He never had anyone to keep him safe or to care for him. It was only him. 

As Zoro was going to make him an offer, Nami and Robin returned. 

“Oh! Surprising, you’re actually still here!”

Zoro furrowed his brow. “Shut up.” He stood, his boots making a solid thud against the wood flooring. 

“Come on, we’re going back to the hotel to get some food. It was nice seeing you Azrael!”

Azrael put a small smile on his face. “Yeah. You too.” As they turned to leave, his smile vanished. His conversation with Zoro left him in a depressed mood. He began to pack away his things so he would be able to go to bed quickly. He was about to walk outside to close up when he heard footsteps approaching the shop. The figure in the doorway was barely panting after running back. Zoro leaned on the doorframe.

“Do you want to join us for dinner? Sanji’s planning on making one of Luffy’s favorites tonight.”

\-----

Azrael went to sleep that night huddled with the Strawhat crew in a giant hotel room. Despite knowing how friendly the crew would be, he stuck close with Zoro, having walked from his shop to the hotel with him and having spent the afternoon talking and chatting. As the night went on, he loosened up with the more beer he drank. He was rather tipsy at the end of the night and Chopper, the little reindeer doctor, kept bothering him over his health. The crew collectively wound down, sitting in the living room that connected their hotel rooms together. Luffy suggested a big slumber party, so Nami and Robin got a variety of pillows and blankets and scattered them around.

Azrael was keen on holding Chopper in his lap. His chin rested on the round head of the reindeer and he sat close to Zoro. He didn’t notice he was dozing off until Zoro prevented him from falling over. It only took a few jerks awake for Zoro to force Azrael to turn his back to him so he could lean against his muscular body. After hearing small snores coming from the smaller man, everyone began to realize how tired they really were. 

They bid each other a quiet goodnight as they all lied down and quietly drifted to sleep. Zoro smiled and pried the drowsy Chopper from Azrael’s arms so he could sleep in between them, comforted by their warmth. The large man carefully lied Azrael down, making sure he wouldn’t stir. The angel stirred slightly, only to get comfy, resting his head on his pillow. Zoro couldn’t stop smiling as he lied down as well, head close to the others. Chopper was quick to crawl up to his warmth and they both fell asleep, relishing in the company of their new friend.

_Take every chance you dare._  
_I’ll still be there_  
_When you come back down_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter includes a lotta violence and god. Writing fighting scenes is nigh impossible.


	4. The Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything Azrael has left goes up in smoke. Zoro refuses to let this be the end for him as he and the rest of the Strawhats duke it out with Smoking Gun. But actions have consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never written a fight before and it is shockingly difficult. If you have any feedback that would be awesome!

_I keep looking up  
Awaiting your return.  
But my greatest fear will be  
That you will crash and burn  
And I won’t feel your fire._

Azrael woke up feeling refreshed, more so than he had ever felt before. Despite lying on the ground, he was extremely comfortable in his position and he contemplated whether he wanted to actually wake up. Before he decided he looked around at the group around him. In his immediate view, Zoro and Chopper were snuggled close together. Zoro’s mouth was slightly open, drooling on his arm which was extended out, his hand resting in Azrael’s hair. Quiet snores left his lips. From where he was, he could see the orange burst that was Nami. She was asleep next to Robin. The loudest snoring came from Usopp and Luffy, who were across the room. The only people who seemed to be awake were Sanji, Franky, and Brook, the last two still made Azrael unsure as to whether they slept or not. 

He didn’t linger on the thought too long before burying his face back into the pillow and falling asleep once more.

\-----

Gentle nudging and prodding woke Azrael up once more. When he opened his eyes, he looked up to see the green haired man kneeling by him. 

“Morning sunshine,” he said casually. “Sanji’s almost done with breakfast, so I thought I should wake you up so you can get enough without Luffy giving you a hard time.” 

Azrael smiled and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Zoro helped him up and led him to the kitchen where the air was warm and smelled sweet with syrup and pancakes and savory with eggs, ham, and bacon.

After a hardy breakfast, Azrael sipped on coffee - probably the best coffee he’s ever had - while talking with Nami and Robin when he realized the time. 

“Oh god, I have to get to work!” he said. “Thank you guys for everything.”

After bidding his farewells he quickly ran back to his shop to find it blown out. The glass was broken, art was torn, and shelves were knocked over. He covered his mouth, reaching down to touch one of the torn paintings on the ground. As tears fell on the ground around him, commotion began to flood the scene. 

“Azrael!” people shouted. They asked him several questions, none which truly reached his brain. He could only force himself to get up and walk inside the destruction. He walked around the studio, now in ruins. Straight ahead from the entryway was a note stuck to the wall with a knife. He took the knife to read the note. It clattered on the ground as he stood, paralyzed with fear. Floods of memories, memories he had repressed long ago, began to rush into his mind. When he heard footsteps run into the store he grabbed the knife and held it out in front of him. 

The blade narrowly missed Zoro’s Adam’s apple. The taller man wasn’t scared, didn’t show any fear, but his brows were furrowed with concern, his eye sparking. 

“Azrael,” he spoke deeply. “What happened.” 

Azrael relaxed, his arms going limp as he stared at the ground. “They’re back, Zoro.”

“Who?” 

The knife fell from Azrael’s hand. He put the note in Zoro’s fingers. 

_You ruined us. We should have known you would have stayed here. This is just a taste. We’ll be back soon._

__

__

_PS - Don’t think about running. You’re surrounded._

Zoro crumpled the piece of paper. “Someone’s been watching you for awhile.”

“Zoro,” Azrael whispered, voice nearly unnoticeable. “Zoro, I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back. I don’t know what they’ll do to me. They won’t kill me, they’ll do whatever they can to keep me alive.”

“They won’t do anything to you.”

“Zoro you don’t know them, they will do anything.” 

“As will we. Come on, we’re getting you out of here.” 

“But my things-”

“We’ll get them tomorrow. For now, we need to come up with a plan.” 

Zoro grabbed Azrael’s hand and pulled him to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the Strawhat crew. 

\-----

Zoro sat by Azrael on the couch, who was holding onto Chopper for comfort, while the group made a plan. The young man wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. At that point, he wasn’t really caring what was happening. He did not want to go back to this life of fear, where he wasn’t able to close his eyes, rest, or let his guard down. He was pleased with his haki, but it was built out of fear and paranoia. It wasn’t ideal. 

Chopper kept his hooves on the hands of the angel, who was unable to stop shaking. Zoro could feel the trembles coming from him. The others could sense it. They weren’t going to let it continue. They had listened to his story. The story of his loss of family. The loss of his humanity. The loss of an identity, comfort, and so much more. He felt alone, helpless, like his life was going to be stuck in a rut that he would never be able to escape. Something he would be stuck with forever, and no attempt at death would ever release him from his torture. 

Luffy was angry. 

“What else are we going to do?” asked Luffy when Nami declined his proposal to fight. 

“He’s determined,” Azrael spoke. “It won’t be hard to stop him, especially if he’s kept me alive as long as he has and even after a sentence if he’s come forward to hunt me down.”

“We won’t let him,” spoke Sanji. “No way.”

Azrael sighed and slightly tightened his grip on Chopper. He didn’t listen to hear what the rest of the plan was. At that point he didn’t care. He knew Luffy and Zoro were a part of the Worst Generation, but he didn’t know how far this entire ordeal would last because of Smoking Gun. 

In the end he would ultimately be left alone. It would have been his fault for Canyon City’s demise. The Gunshot’s were coming back for him and they didn’t intend on leaving without Azrael. People would die because of him. He wished in that moment that he could just pass away so the nightmare would end. 

Zoro could feel how hard he was shaking so he reached out a hand and ran his fingers through Azrael’s hand. He ruffled his hair gently, providing at least some comfort to the smaller man. When they made eye contact, Zoro flashed him a smile. 

“Don’t worry. We won’t let you be alone.”

“Az,” Chopper said, moving in his arms. “You should rest. Maybe take a nap to calm down.” 

The young man nodded and shifted to move, but he felt an arm wrap around him, hand on his chest, pulling him downwards. Zoro had pulled him to lie down next to him, head in his lap. 

“You heard the doc,” he said after gulping down sake. “Get some rest.” 

It didn’t take Azrael as long as he thought it would to fall into a peaceful sleep. Zoro’s warmth and the comfort of his thigh and hip helped him relax quickly. He managed to catch sleep for an hour, blissfully ignorant in his dreams, but it was torn away when he was violently shaken awake. 

“Az!” Zoro yelled. “We have to go!”

“What? Why? What’s happening?”

“There’s a fire in the city. It’s where your shop is.”

Azrael shot up and his nerves began to take over. The room went silent on his end. He ignored all the shouts of the Strawhat crew to leave, bursting from the room and sprinting down the street to his home. 

Zoro wasn’t far behind. He didn’t want to leave Azrael alone to his own devices but he panicked when he realized Azrael wasn’t going to stop. 

“AZRAEL!” he yelled as the younger man pushed through the crowds towards the engulfing flames. 

Inside Azrael’s mind, this was a chance for escape, for a release from his suffering and demons, for a chance to finally escape his endless hell. But before he could leap and let the flames swallow him, two large arms grabbed his waist and hoisted him away from the store. 

“Az!” 

“Let me go! Let me go! Just let me die!”

He wasn’t listening. He was thrashing, trying to get out of the arms of Zoro who attempted to hold him back. He tried to kick and punch his way through, but Zoro took every blow and hit in an attempt to calm the angel. Once Az had slightly calmed down, he was turned around in the arms and his face was buried in Zoro’s neck. 

He froze before breaking down completely. He sobbed in the crook of Zoro’s neck, gripping his shirt and falling to the floor. Zoro went down with him, content with holding the young man to comfort him. He buried his nose in the blonde hair, listening to the sobs wreak the body in his arms. His fingers once again ran through the soft hair, ruffling the strands under his palm. 

Luffy approached and stood next to the two. He waited for Azrael to calm down.

“Zoro,” Azrael said in between sobs. “Why can’t you just let me die?”

“You deserve a chance. You don’t know what your goal is yet. And you can’t die until you achieve it. I won’t let you.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you’re talented and you have a future. You can make such a good change in the world. This earth needs people like you.”

Azrael couldn’t respond to that without bursting into more tears. All Zoro did was hold him tighter, pulling him into his lap. Whenever Azrael recalled this moment, he remembers that he had never felt safer than he did in Zoro’s arms that day. That was when he was truly able to feel the care of others. 

“Azrael,” Zoro said in a dark voice. 

Az looked up at him, tears reddening his amber eyes. 

“I promise you that bastard will never have the ability to use you ever again. I promise you that you will survive. I promise you that you will be independent. And I PROMISE you that you are loved and cared for.” Azrael looked like he was going to interject. “We love and care for you. And we will not let this happen.”

“Zoro,” Azrael whispered before resting his forehead on the chest of the man holding him. 

“I’m gonna kick this guys ass,” Luffy said. 

“Not before I kick it first,” Zoro retorted. 

A loud boom shook the city. A cloud of dust rose, filling the canyon like a river as a vehicle approached. The people of the city began to run in the opposite direction, getting away from the chaos that was about to ensue. Zoro’s singular eye glared at the ship until it came to a halt. A dirty looking finger was being pointed at him. 

“You there!” said a nasaly voice. “You’re holding my property. Hand her over and we’ll leave without a fuss.”

Zoro shook his head, earrings chiming together. 

“Come on now. Don’t make this more difficult than you need to. Hand me the angel and we won’t destroy you.”

A growl rumbled from deep within Zoro’s belly. Azrael could feel it inside of him. Zoro knew the demons were growling, thirsting for a fight. 

“You know what you can take? You can take that filthy finger of yours and shove it right up your ass! Get out of here before you taste my blades.”

Zoro watched as the hand turn into a pistol quickly. It almost gave him whiplash. A gunshot rang through the air and it caused Azrael to jump. 

“As if your blades could stop my bullets.”

“Azrael,” he whispered. “May I?”

The blonde looked at him and nodded. “Please Zoro.” He shifted enough for Zoro to be able to stand, ruffling his hair one last time. 

“Let’s fight you fat bastard. You’ll never touch him ever again.”

Smoking Gun looked confused at first and then looked at Azrael, who was bitterly staring back at him. It then occurred to Smoking Gun that he had changed in appearance. 

“Oh, precious Heaven, you’ve changed quite a bit.” 

“Shut up,” Azrael started. 

“You know I don’t care about these things.”

“Shut up.”

“Regardless of what you are, you know I just want you on our crew!”

“Shut up!”

“You know what’s best for you.”

“SHUT UP!” His yell shook the canyon. “Just shut up. Shut the fuck up! I’ve been waiting to read in the newspaper that you would die in prison, the way you deserved.”

“You know I’m too good for that.”

Zoro chimed in. “It’s a shame that you’ll die to my swords. You don’t deserve a death that honorable.”

“You won’t be able to touch me, idiot swordsman.”

“Yes I can. And I will.”

His fist formed into a pistol and shot at the green haired man, but he was gone the moment he shot. The bullet planted into the ground. Zoro was behind him, all of his swords adorned before he twist around and held his gun to the blades. The rest of the Mugiwara jumped on the ship doing what they could to assist. Zoro swiped his blades, continuously parried by the barrel of a gun. A shot was fired at him, quickly dodged by jumping and planting his foot into Smoking Gun’s face. 

“Ignore these fools,” Smoking Gun yelled. “Your priority is the Angel!”

Zoro growled once more and spun, slicing a cut into the arm of the gunman. 

“Robin!” Azrael heard Luffy’s voice echo. “Make sure none of them get to Az!” 

As a wave of pirates approached, a large pair of hands grew from the ground, smashing against the floor of the canyon, swatting at the sailors that tried to grab Az. 

Usopp was sniping at as many as he could, and he was getting plenty of shots in. Luffy was having a blast based on the laughs he was having, throwing a pirate far beyond the walls of the canyon. Sanji was quick to assist Nami whenever a pirate would approach. They made for a solid team. Brook was fighting other pirates with swords and Franky, the monster he was, was blasting at masses of pirates. Chopper, Azrael couldn’t see. This was an absolute shitshow. 

Azrael’s eyes were focused on Zoro, who was slashing away at Smoking Gun. Smoking Gun had to have gotten stronger in prison because he was easily dodging and parrying the blows. It took a few gun changes for Smoking Gun to get a shot in, bullet digging into his hip. It took Az a while to know he got hit because he didn’t change at all. No noise or movement stopped or slowed him. 

The air was being filled with the sounds of gunshots. They were on the offensive now. Firing aimlessly into the Mugiwara. Zoro had to have gotten a few because he yelled out.

“Zoro!” Az yelled, jumping out from behind the wall of a shop. It had been awhile since he had done this so he ran to get his energy flowing. He turned and ran towards the fray, picking up speed before he quickly transformed into that of a bird. A giant long tailed widowbird took shape into the sky, sparkling a bright white. Those who saw it were blinded. Zoro wasn’t sure what was happening, using his Haki to continue the fight. A few bullets in his arm made wielding a sword difficult, but he wouldn’t stop. 

Smoking Gun smacked the sword out of Zoro’s weak arm and Zoro yelled out, watching as a gun barrel was pointed right at his face. Before the trigger could be pulled, a brilliant white light coating feathers held him, making him feel warm. A feather drifted across his body, making his wounds practically close up, the blood vanishing. Zoro was able to grab his sword as the bullet was absorbed into the feathers. 

The light morphed ever so slightly and in front of him, he saw Azrael. 

“Don’t you fucking touch any of these people.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed your heavenly looks,” Smoking Gun spoke, not paying any attention to the situation at hand. His greasy hand reached out to grip his waist. “Remember those fun nights we used to have?”

“Don’t touch me,” Az spoke, tearing away from his grip. 

“Don’t you miss those? No one has ever treated you the way I have.”

“And as long as I’m alive,” Zoro spoke, rising above Azrael. “No one will ever treat him the way you have again. Run Azrael. Go find safety. I'll get you when this bastard is dead.”

As soon as Azrael jumped upwards to fly away, his former captain yelled. “Release him!” Smoking Gun yelled. A large rumble shook the ground and a mechanical minotaur with a large spear burst from the side of the ship. It scanned the scene. Azrael remembered the prototype of this beast. Smoking Gun wanted to make him in case of “emergencies”, but Az never saw its use. If he remembered right, it was only to be used for the hope of destruction and death. Whenever it was able to scan the face of Smoking Gun, it would have been able to help and fight, letting Smoking Gun focus on whatever it was he was plotting. 

Once the minotaur spotted Smoking Gun, it set its sights on Zoro, who was able to jump away from a swipe before it contacted him. Zoro grunted, not happy with the inconvenience. The minotaur was stupidly fast. This marked the moment when Zoro hated robots (other than Franky). It was almost impossible to fight it and many times had it scraped the skin on his torso, blood dripping around him. It was getting faster and faster and Zoro wasn’t sure if he was able to keep up with it. Meanwhile Smoking Gun began making a beeline towards Az. 

Zoro attempted to look back to warn Azrael but the minotaur was preparing a jab. 

“Zoro! Look out!” Azrael shouted, leaping from where he was standing to attempt to protect him. As he moved, there was no way he would be able to shift in time, still trying to learn his powers. All he could do was throw himself in front of Zoro.

Everything went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my writing skill has significantly decreased the more I work on this. Like I said, I'm used to writing scholarly essays about history, not freehand. A for effort tho.


	5. Fallen Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The angel the Strawhats found was dying in their presence. Were their attempts at saving him all for nothing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I casually forgot to continue this. Finals season in quarantine is WACK.

_I’ll be on the other end,  
To hear you when you call.  
Angel, you were born to fly.  
And if you get too high,  
I’ll catch you when you fall._

The spear went straight through the torso of Azrael, who was still half shifted. His back was to the minotaur, facing Zoro with a sad smile. The yells never reached his ear drums, the world fading from his vision quickly. Smoking Gun panicked. What he believed to be his prized possession was going to die. The minotaur, programmed to detect the Tenshi Tenshi no-mi, began to malfunction as its inner computer tried to recalculate it’s errors. Smoke erupted from its metal ears before shutting down completely. 

But Zoro wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. The spear, pointed end coming out of Azrael’s chest, kept his body propped up. The blood was pounding in his ears and he could barely move. His eye was wide open, watering for the first time in years. He couldn’t believe what was happening despite looking around him. Azraels blood was on his shirt, his pants, his skin and it made him burn. It stung. 

“Azrael!” 

The shouts of others got him to move and he gently touched his hair. “Az. Az, please tell me you can hear me.”

There was no response. 

“Fuck! Chopper!” 

“I’m here!” shouted the doctor, running in his Heavy point form. He squealed as he saw Azrael. 

“Is he alive!” Zoro commanded more than asked.

“Yes, but barely. I need to get that spear out of him, but this is not a safe place to be.”

“Just do what you have to do. Please!” 

“I’m on it. Do you think you could cut this spear head off? It’ll make this a lot easier.” Before Zoro could handle the captain, he nodded and sliced the spearhead off of the spear, barely moving to make it as painless as he could. One of his hands, shaking with tension, ran through Azrael's hair as gently as he could. 

“Stay strong, Angel. I’ll make sure you’re never hurt like this again.”

Zoro was quick to turn, sword pointed towards Smoking Gun. “You.” Zoro hopped off of the ship's deck to walk up to him. “You did this. You fucking did this. You killed him. You tortured him, despite all of the countless times this man tried to kill himself you tortured him and you never once. You NEVER. Took care of him. You’re scum. You are the dirt I step on and you are a sad excuse of a human being. You have a literal ANGEL on your ship and your only thoughts are to exploit him, use him, abuse him, sexualize him, and you give him nothing. You make me sick.”

The demons in his heart were roaring. He could barely hear the voices around him, the only thing audible were the tempting pleas his swords were crying in his brain. 

“Give me one good fucking reason I shouldn’t torture you and let you bleed out? Why I shouldn’t make you hurt the way he’s been hurting. Give me one reason to give you a quick death.”

Smoking gun was cowering on the ground. 

“Come now,” he said, trying to gather as much courage as he could. “You’re a nice guy, I can tell. You wouldn’t let people suffer, come on.”

“You don’t know me.”

“And you can’t assume that the Angel does! You don’t know whether he’s telling the truth about anything or not.” 

A blade went through his leg and he let out a scream. 

“I have never seen anyone so scared of another human being. People who scare others the way you had him deserve the worst punishment. I’m wanted by the marines for over 320 MILLION Bellis. I would rather call the Marines and have them arrest all of us just so you could rot in prison.” 

He pulled the blade from the captain's leg. 

“Zoro,” spoke Luffy as the other pirates began to scramble away from the scene.

Zoro’s hands tightened around his swords. “What.”

“End it fast. We need to take care of Azrael.” 

“Fine.” He turned, inhaling quietly then exhaling. He could sense Smoking Gun aiming at him. He turned to face him, single eye blazing a flame brighter than anyone had ever seen. He yelled out and rushed forwards, swinging his blades powerful enough for the air and energy to form into the shape of a tiger. The tiger ran forward, his bladed claws reaching for Smoking Gun, slashing through his skin as if he were a simple blade cutting through paper. 

Smoking Gun couldn’t have prepared himself for it if he tried. His wounds were so deep that his heart, no longer beating, was exposed to the world. Zoro inhaled and exhaled again. He felt calmer, albeit tired. 

“Zoro?” 

“I’m fine,” he said, rubbing his head. However, when he closed his eye, he blacked out upon hitting the ground. 

\-----

Zoro woke up in his hotel bedroom. He grunted, as he came back to his senses, muscles groaning as he sat up. He looked up and Sanji was leaning against the doorframe. 

“You’re awake,” he said, exhaling smoke.

“Yeah,” Zoro responded. His head ached, pain making his ears ring. “What happened after I passed out?”

“Nothing honestly. Your clothes were covered in blood, so Usopp took them and is washing them off now. Chopper is still working on Azrael. He’s been on call with Law, who’s rapidly approaching the island. It’s looking really bad. Neither of them think he’ll make it.”

Zoro grimaced, pulling his knees up to his chest. He felt the prod of a bandage and he looked at it, ripping it off of the crook of his elbow. 

“Chopper took all of our blood to sample, trying to find the best for Azrael. He doesn’t have results yet. He can’t leave him alone without him going downhill fast. He’s hoping Law can help.”

“Damn,” Zoro muttered. 

Sanji took another drag of his cigarette and looked at the man in the bed. “This isn’t like you, Marimo. I’ve never seen you care for someone so bad.”

Zoro shot a glance towards Sanji. “Yet I see you caring for him the way the rest of the crew is.” 

“I won’t deny that there’s some friendship there but you’re different. What is it about him that makes you so soft?”

Zoro rolled his eye. “I’m not soft. His story just made me angry.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s like when the Franky Family beat Usopp nearly to death, or when me and Luffy went to Arlong Park and did what we could to help Nami. I was just angry. I wanted to get rid of the problem.”

“And you did.”

“I wanted to remind him that there’s more to life than your trauma. There’s more than your past. There's more that you can explore and there are good days. I wanted to show him. I wanted to help him find his dream.”

“You really like this kid, eh?”

Zoro rubbed the bridge of his nose, groaning in pain. “Mhm.”

Sanji stood in silence, watching the man think. “Headache?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll bring you some tea.”

Zoro nodded, put his chin back on his knees, and mumbled quietly. “Thanks.”

A few hours had passed from when Zoro passed out before the Heart Pirates had arrived to the hotel. Law, breathing heavily, burst into the common area of the hotel suite. His entry was quickly followed by him walking into the room where Chopper was holed up with Azrael. 

The green-haired man let out a sigh. Azrael wasn’t expected to make it. That thought made him frown. Az had worked so hard to get to where he was and all he could do now was die without knowing the joys of life and adventure. It felt like everything he did was pointless. 

Sanji had come back with his tea and Zoro nodded his thanks. “I want to be alone right now,” he said softly. 

Sanji nodded respectfully. “Okay. We’ll be out here if you need anything.”

Zoro hummed as he sipped the drink, welcoming the warm contents between his lips. Every sip of his tea made him feel okay. As if there weren’t someone across the suite who had been dying for the past three to four hours. He put the cup on the plate it had come with and he fell back on his pillow, feeling the cool fabrics against his skin. 

He stared at the ceiling, eye watering at the fact that there was nothing he could do. And he hated himself for it. So he went back to sleep. 

\-----

When Zoro woke up, it was dark out. He rubbed his eyes, yawning briefly before standing off of the mattress. On the foot of the bed were some pants. Pajama pants he determined after grabbing them. He pulled them on and walked outside, feeling utterly hopeless at the silence surrounding him. 

Law and Chopper were nowhere to be seen. They must still be working on Az. 

Everyone was trying to do something to get their mind off of the situation at hand. Robin was reading, Nami was flipping through a magazine, Usopp was drawing, Luffy was eating, but… it was different than it usually was. The ear ringing silence was almost painful. There was a lot of pain that Zoro was able to feel. He was sure everyone else was able to as well. 

“Oi, Moss-head.”

The voice turned his gaze upward. The cook was standing in the doorway of their makeshift kitchen. “Made you something for when you woke up. Better come get it before Luffy does.”

Despite not feeling hungry at all, Zoro entered the kitchen. 

“Thanks.”

Upon his entrance, Sanji lowered his voice so Zoro alone could hear it. “This isn’t like you Zoro. I get it, you’re upset. We all are. We need you to stay strong for us if not with us.”

“I know, I know.” 

Zoro leaned on the wall in the kitchen and ate absentmindedly. He would be lying if he tried to insult Sanji’s cooking, even if there was a rivalry between them. He would also be lying if he said he wasn’t grateful for his support. 

After eating and washing his plate (a small notion he used to thank the cook), he walked back into the common room. He was about to re-enter his bedroom when Chopper burst out of the room, hands covered in blood.

“Zoro!” he shouted. 

Zoro tensed, ready for defeat. 

“I need you to sit on the couch. After testing everyone’s blood, you're the only person who matches Azrael’s blood type. I need to take some blood so we can give it to him. It’ll help him a lot.”

Zoro, breathlessly, nodded and sat down on the couch, extending his arm for the reindeer to get to. 

“I’m glad you work out so much, it’s so easy to find your veins.” 

Zoro stared at his lap. “How is he?” he asked, not ready for an answer. 

Chopper visibly grimaced. “Right now, it’s in the air. He’s less likely to die now, but there’s still a big chance he won’t make it. We’re working on it.”

The swordsman nodded as Chopper continued.

“I’m honestly shocked he survived in the first place. The spear managed to go straight under his heart and between his lungs, but one got snagged. It’s ruptured, so his breathing is a little unstable, but it’s an easy fix. His heart is completely fine according to Law.”

“Oh yeah!” Luffy spoke after swallowing food. “Traffy can use his fruit to help him.”

“His room is very helpful, yes. We can take Azrael apart without risking his life too badly. I don’t know if I would have been able to fix it without him being here.”

“Let us know what we can do to help,” Nami stated.

The doctor nodded, pulling the needle out of Zoro’s vein. “At the moment, nothing. We’re doing what we can.”

Zoro wanted to say it wasn’t good enough, but he knew that wasn’t true. “Thank you,” he said quietly. 

Chopper's eyes shone for a brief second before running back to the room to continue his work. 

\-----

It wasn’t until dawn the next day that the two doctors exited the room. Law’s eyes were baggy, more so than usual, and he looked physically exhausted. Chopper was on the brink of exhaustion, but now that he was finished for the moment, he was about to break. They had worked for twelve hours on the angel. 

“Where’s Zoro?” the doctor asked. “I want a bath.”

“Asleep in his room,” Sanji answered. “I’ll get him.”

Law took a breath and went to the kitchen to wash his hands after discarding his blood soaked shirt. “If he rests enough and heals well, he’ll be fine,” he spoke loudly from the sink. “I studied his devil fruit for a little bit. He has healing properties, which is my assumption for his survival. Kid’s a trooper. Until a certain point, his body will have to recover naturally. Using his fruit could drain him. He’ll probably be comatose for the next few days if not the next few weeks. But he’ll survive.”

Zoro stood outside his bedroom listening to the news. His heart pounded against his chest despite his attempts to calm it. Azrael was going to be fine. They were going to be fine. Everything was fine. A small prod reminded Zoro of what he was doing and he walked with Chopper to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life or death angst??? Dope. For some reason I had such a hard time writing this chapter, so if it seems a lil... off, that's why. I tried my best. I read it over four times and I didn't want to read it anymore so I'm just going to post it.


End file.
